5 September, Friday: Madhya Pradesh Opposition Leader and Congress MLA Umang Singhar sparked a fiery controversy when he claimed that "tribals are not Hindus". Addressing a meeting of the Tribal Development Council in Chhindwara, Singhar stated, "I say with pride that we are Adivasis, not Hindus."
A four-term Bhil legislator, Singhar, explained that his comments were not meant to hurt any religion. "We do not disrespect any religion," he stated, further saying, "I am a believer of Hinduism, but the BJP wants to follow its own agenda."
Singhar continued to charge the BJP and RSS with trying to assimilate tribal identity into a homogenised Hindu identity. "The indigenous people of this land are tribals … Why do the BJP or RSS want to prevent us from worshipping nature?" he questioned.
His words faced scathing criticism from the ruling party. Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs, Durgadas Uikey, found the statement "harmful to social harmony and unity" and called for Singhar to apologies.
He contended that the tribal communities are firmly established in Hindu tradition and stated, "Through this statement, an effort is being made to bifurcate society."
Considering that, 47 of the 230 assembly seats are set aside for Scheduled Tribes and that Madhya Pradesh has the largest tribal population of any Indian state, roughly 21% of the total population, the political stakes are very high.
Singhar's stance represents a struggle against what he perceives as attempts to impose mainstream Hindu norms on tribal peoples, and a plea for greater recognition of the distinctiveness of Adivasi culture and religion.
